The Prom Problem
by EternalEarth
Summary: Set post-BOO, and Nico is attempting to become more sociable and 'friendly'. However, when Reyna announces that there will be an inter-camp Prom, Nico is forced to face his growing feelings for a certain son of Apollo if he is to be truly happy. xSolangelo, and Blood of Olympus Spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

Everyone was standing next to a tree at Camp Half-Blood, enjoying the summer air. Percy, Annabeth, Hazel, Frank, Piper, Jason, Nico, and Leo, who had triumphantly and unexpectedly returned from the dead, complete with an ageless girlfriend from mythology. Standard.

Nico's wounds had healed, thanks to several days in the infirmary upon the insistence of Will Solace, whose attentions toward Nico had over-spilled into everyday life. Nico was now a regular at the Apollo cabin lunches, who all looked forwards to his presence (mainly because the constant bickering between Nico and Will served as good mealtime entertainment).

Back in the present, Leo was telling the tale of the final battle, complete with actions that very nearly decapitated Frank at one point.

'Will's coming over,' said Jason, before giving Nico a discrete wink that only he could see. Nico just lowered his eyes.

Will Solace walked over to the group, grinning broadly, his shaggy blonde hair glinting in the sunlight.

'Hi guys,' said Will. 'How's it going?'

'Good thanks. How are you buddy?' asked Percy.

'Not bad. Just thought I'd pop over to invite you to my birthday party in Apollo cabin tomorrow night. Everybody is invited. Even scary underworld people, who actually have a forehead if you look for it,' he said, lifting up Nico's fringe.

'Oh go away Will,' said Nico, pulling away from him, but letting a shadow of a smile cross his face.

Everyone else was grinning at this exchange. 'We'll be there,' said Piper, laughing.

'Great stuff,' said Will, wrapping an arm around Nico's shoulders, who made no move to shrug him off.

'And also there is a dress code I'm afraid,' continued Will, addressing the group. 'No all-black outfits. Anybody arriving in an all-black outfit will be forced to wear copious amounts of tie-dye.'

Everyone laughed, and Nico looked away, though everyone could see his shoulders shaking with restrained laughter.

'Got that Nico?' asked Will, squeezing him closer.

'Yep,' said Nico, now unable to hide his smile. 'I'll have to go shopping, but yep.'

The rest of the group were now looking at each other and then back at Will and Nico. It was strange to see Nico smiling and laughing, but Will appeared to have an ability to draw it out from the son of Hades.

'Alright, see you around guys,' said Will, beginning to walk away. 'Oh and Nico, lunch with the Apollo cabin tomorrow. Don't disappoint us.'

At Will's birthday the next day, Nico was wearing a dark-blue and black-chequered shirt, with his normal black jeans and black basketball trainers. He smoothed down his shirt and knocked on the door. Will answered and gleefully led him inside. It seemed that Will's popularity meant that the majority of Camp Half-Blood was squished into his tiny cabin. Demigods hung from the bunk-beds and squatted on the floor, looking uncomfortable but happy.

Will lead Nico directly under the light, and examined his clothes.

'Not all black,' said Nico, proudly pointing at the dark-blue squares on his shirt.

'No,' said Will carefully. 'But still pretty… dark. I expected a little more colour.'

'It does have colour,' complained Nico. 'I bought it cos it was a bit more colourful.'

Will stared at him awhile, mouth hanging open. Upon realising that Nico was completely serious, he patted him slowly on the arm, and said sarcastically, 'Good job Nico.'

'Oh leave off Will,' scowled Nico. 'I can wear what the hell I want. Just because I'm not like you and go walking around like someone's let off a bomb in an art shop-'

'Hate to interrupt the banter,' said Jason. 'But I think the cake's arrived.'

Will's cake caused much hilarity, as every time he blew out the candles, Leo would summon flames to relight them again. He did this so many times that by the end everyone was doubled over in hysterics, and even Nico found a few chuckles bubbling through his lips.

It had been a good night indeed.

xxxxxxx

The next day, consternation and much excitement rippled through the camp. Reyna had visited in person to make the announcement.

'For the first time in history, and in a bid to replicate the outside world, there will be a joint-camp Prom,' she said.

Most of the girls squealed in excitement, whilst the boys rustled and murmured. The rest of the day was spent talking about dates, dresses and colours of ties. But the news had not caused any excitement in Nico. He imagined the lines of boys with girls on their arms. He felt so sick in the knowledge that the way he felt was so alien, so outside the whole male, female, boy, girl rhythm of a Prom. He had felt so nauseous after the announcement that had to go back to his cabin for a lie down.

There was no way he could go, not even as a singleton. It would cause too much anxiety. Stir up too many feelings. He fell asleep on his black-duveted bed and had a dream.

In the dream, he was hand in hand with Will Solace, walking down a red carpet to prom. Butterflies fluttered violently in his stomach, whilst the son of Apollo beamed down at him with a smile as bright as the sun itself.

xxxxxxxxx

The next day, Nico and the gang were lying next to the lake, basking in the sunlight. Well the others were. Nico was not natural in the sunlight. For a native Italian, his skin lacked a certain amount of olive-ness, regardless of how long he spent outside. Reyna had joined them, and like Nico, she preferred to sit in the shade, looking out over the lake. As he chatted to Reyna, Nico suddenly realised that everyone was here. All of his friends. All the people who had shown him such kindness, and tolerance. Even though Nico had pushed them away countless times, they had not given up on him.

They deserved an explanation. He did not know where this courage was coming from, but it filled his heart, and reached his mouth until he heard himself saying, 'Guys, can you all come over here for a second. I've got something to talk to you about.'

His friends raised their heads one by one in confusion. Nico nodded, and ushered them over. They lazily pulled themselves up, giving Frank a kick, who had fallen asleep.

They formed a ring around Nico on the grass, all faces staring at him with a mixture of confusion and anticipation. Nico found his breathing become shallow, and his courage deserting him. He hated attention on him, and above all, he hated talking about his feelings.

_Too late now. _

Jason gave him a slight nod, and that gave Nico a momentary burst of confidence, but his voice still shook as he began speaking.

'Erm, well firstly, I just wanted to apologise really. To apologise for all the times that you felt I pushed you away or was unfriendly. I just really want you to know that it wasn't anything personal. I was messed up for many years. I've always felt on the outside, and just assumed that people won't like me. So to avoid other people pushing me away, I pushed myself away first. And… the reason that I felt I don't belong is for three reasons.'

He paused to swallow. His mouth was parched, and the gazes of his friends had become more concentrated on him now they knew he was talking about something serious. Nico internally shook his head. _Why the hell is this so hard?_

'The first reason is the fact that, you know, my Dad is the god of the underworld, and is responsible for dead people, and well… that's a bit unnerving. Obviously.'

His friends were now looking at each other as Nico's awkwardness became more apparent.

'Secondly,' continued Nico. 'I'm from a different time, and I don't understand a lot of things. Especially computers. Jason can vouch for that.'

'Oh gods, yes,' said Jason, remembering the knocks on his cabin from Nico, who insisted that he had _lost the internet._

Nico continued. 'And the third thing…is that I'm gay.'

He didn't see his friends' response, as he head was bent, but a deafening silence seemed to have fallen. Nico decided to fill it by continuing talking.

'I know now that this isn't such a big deal in this day and age. But you have to remember that I'm from the 1930s,' explained Nico. 'Being gay back then meant a lifetime of misery. Either you suppressed it and were miserable, or you expressed it and were outcast and were then miserable. I suppose I've just carried these feelings of shame and fear into this century too, and it's taken me a while to shake them off. Sorry.'

His head was still bent, but he felt fingers lifting his chin. He looked up to see Hazel gazing at him. 'Nico, that was really brave.'

Nico looked around the circle at his friends, who were all looking at him, not with disgust, but with compassion. They all made noises of agreement.

'We're right behind you,' said Frank, giving him a slap on the back that jarred Nico's spine.

'Thanks Frank,' said Nico, slightly winded.

Piper was looking at him with a teasing smirk creeping across her face. 'With this new knowledge in mind… What's going on between you and Will Solace?'

Nico really didn't mean to smile like a love-struck boy. But he couldn't help it. At the mention of Will's name, he felt a huge pull at the corners of his mouth that he could not stop.

His friends _oohed_ and_ aahed_, with an exclamation of 'Wha-hey!' from Leo.

'Calm down guys,' said Nico. 'Will and I are just friends. I mean, I don't even know if he's gay.'

'But you hope he is, right?' said Reyna, winking.

'Well duh,' laughed Nico.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in contentment, joking and lazing on the grass. Nico joined in, feeling lighter than the air itself.

xxxxxxxxx

It was after dinner, and Nico and his friends were all sat at the Hades cabin. Will Solace wandered over to their table, and said exuberantly, 'Hello everyone. Mind if I squeeze in next to Nico here?'

Hazel shuffled over to make room, and Nico's mouth flickered with a faint smile.

Will's eyes landed on Calypso. 'You must be Leo's lovely lady. Nice to meet you, princess.'

'Nice to meet you too,' said Calypso, eyes sparkling with a smile.

'I'm thinking we should go in a matching couples costume to the prom,' said Leo, nodding enthusiastically whilst Calypso shot him daggers. 'You know like Frodo and Sam or something? Elliot and E.T? Or maybe just two crazy mechanics, though we won't really need a costume for that one.'

Laughter rippled around the table, and Calypso threw a grape at Leo.

'So many couples,' said Will, shaking his head. His eyes landed on Nico, and he prodded his arm. 'Who are you going with?'

Nico rubbed his arm. 'Nobody. You? Bet you've got girls battering down the doors.'

Will shrugged. 'Yeah… it's a hard life. But no. I don't have a date. Don't really enjoy that kind of thing.' He laughed, 'Hey, maybe me and you will just end up going together.'

Nico's stared at Will and took the biggest risk he had taken in his life. Bigger than any quest he had gone on, bigger than any monster had had faced.

'I wouldn't mind that,' said Nico, completely seriously. Everyone held their breath.

Will's smile fell away from his face, and he looked back at Nico. 'You… you wouldn't?'

Nico continued to gaze at Will. 'No, I wouldn't.'

Will swallowed, looking utterly dumb-struck and Nico started to wonder if he had said the right thing. But then, suddenly, a huge smile split Will's face. 'Awesome!' he said, like he had peaked a particularly difficult wave. 'It's a date then.'

'Yep,' said Nico, feeling warm and elated.

Will continued to stare at Nico in delighted disbelief. Then he rubbed his hair shyly. 'Wow, this is cool. I've been wondering, you know, how to ask you to prom for ages.'

Without warning, Will grabbed Nico's hand and planted a sloppy kiss on it. 'You have made me a very happy man, my Italian Stallion.'

'You're half right,' said Leo. 'He's definitely Italian.'

'Will,' called someone from Apollo cabin.

'I have to go,' said Will. 'But see you guys around.'

He wandered away, a stupid grin on his face.

Nico looked around at his friends, who all had stupid grins plastered across all of their own faces. 'Well,' said the son of Hades. 'That was easier than I thought it would be.'

'Oh Nico,' said Will, who had run back up to the table. 'By the way, about the suit you're going to wear. Better to at least have a colourful tie to accent-'

'_Shut up Will_!'


	2. Chapter 2

It was the evening of Prom, and Nico was terrified.

This was the night that he would be publically outing himself to not one, but_ both_ camps. And for a boy who had spent the majority of his life going to incredible lengths to hide his feelings, the prospect was nausea-inducing. In contrast, Will had not seemed bothered by the prospect at all, treating it with as much anxiety as one might have popping out to the shops to get milk. Will just laughed whenever Nico mentioned how scared he was, telling him, 'Don't sweat di Angelo, we'll have an _awesome_ night!'

And after a week of build-up, it was finally the night. Nico and his friends were all gathered in Poseidon cabin, putting the finishing touches to their outfits, and waiting for Will to arrive.

'I'm crapping myself,' said Nico, shaking his head as Hazel adjusted his tie.

Nico had defied Will's request for colour, and was instead wearing a 1930's-inspired all-black suit, with a grey waist-coat, white shirt and a black and white polka-dot tie.

'It'll go just fine,' said Hazel. 'The good thing about the camps is that they're full of people who have spent their whole lives feeling like outcasts. If you're going to be accepted anywhere, it's here.'

_Whoosh. _

Leo's bow-tie exploded again. 'God-dammit,' he cursed, batting out the flames.

Calypso sighed, and removed the singed piece of cloth from around Leo's neck, handing him another. 'You're down to your last spare. Is this party-trick really worth all this?'

'Of course,' said Leo. 'This flaming bow-tie will look totally awesome, as soon as I make a few adjustments of course.' Removing his tool-belt, he started tinkering with the bow-tie, which was not a surreal sight at all.

The door knocked, and Will walked in. He was wearing a light grey suit with a blue silk shirt that brought out the colour of his eyes perfectly, Nico noted.

'Hey guys,' he said beaming. 'We almost ready?'

'Almost,' said Annabeth. 'As soon as Leo stops being a fire hazard.'

Will walked over to Nico, and gave him a peck on the cheek. Nico felt those skeletal butterflies swarm in his stomach, and hoped he wasn't turning red. Will looked him up and down. 'Very handsome. So handsome, in fact, that I don't think I'm even annoyed about the lack of colour-'

'Leave it,' warned Nico. He swallowed. 'And, erm, you look very handsome too by the way.'

Will flicked his hair. 'What's new though?'

Nico rolled his eyes.

'And how are you feeling? Nervous?' asked Will, examining Nico closely.

'_So_ nervous,' said Nico, exhaling.

'Me too, but more excited. I'm ready,' said Will, and started performing kung-fu moves that could have rivalled Coach Hedge. 'I'm ready to power my way out of that closet. _Bam._ We'll blast our way out. You ready Nico?'

Everyone was laughing at Will's antics, whilst Nico held his head in despair. 'You're not going to be this embarrassing all evening are you?'

'I don't know,' said Will. 'And I also must warn you that once I get my groove on, I'm hard to stop.' He then started shuffling around in a bizarre, 1970s-style dance.

Nico watched him with mild horror, before turning to the others.

'Anyone want to swap?'

xxxxxxxxxx

As they approached the site of the Prom, they could see the fires twinkling in the night, and the sound of chatter and soft music in the warm summer air. In the centre, a space had been cleared for the dance-floor and the tables were place in a ring around the outside, all of them groaning with food.

Will held out his hand for Nico to take. Nico felt a wave of fear crash through him, and he hesitated.

'Come on, Nico,' said Will softly. 'All the couples here will be holding hands, or linking arms. If we're not going to do this properly, we might as well not do it at all.'

Nico gulped, and took Will's hand. He leaned over and whispered in Nico's ear. 'No shame.'

As they approached the Prom site, Nico kept his head slightly bent, but remembering what Will said about no shame, he rose it a little. The smooth jazz that played in the background as people mingled and chatted reminded Nico of the dance halls back in the 1930s. He and Bianca would occasionally go along and watch their mother dancing, always talking about how beautiful Maria di Angelo looked. The atmosphere relaxed Nico, but only slightly.

Without warning, Nico and Will were in amongst everyone else. Nico had to force himself not to scan people's faces, seeing if they had noticed. He could have sworn he heard a few people mutter his name, but he carried on being guided by Will who was making a beeline for the drinks table.

'Will,' called a voice, and a boy from Apollo cabin walked over, Austin, along with his date.

'Hey guys,' Will said cheerily.

'Hi Will. Hi Nico,' said Austin. His eyes glanced down to Will and Nico's joined hands, but soon flickered back up to their faces. They chatted for a while, and Nico even found himself joining in, the sense of vulnerability declining second by second.

After Austin wandered away, Will dragged Nico over to the drinks table where Frank and Hazel were standing and they poured themselves some juice. As they chatted, Nico couldn't help but look around at the other demigods. With a jolt, he could see many of them with their eyes towards him and Will, whispering.

'What are you thinking?' asked Will, giving him an amused sidelong glance. 'What do you think they're all saying?'

'Erm… well, I don't know,' mumbled Nico, thrown off guard by this question.

'Exactly,' said Will, smiling. 'You don't know what they're saying, and you don't know what they're thinking. It could be negative, it could be positive. They could be thinking how cute we look together. They could be saying how much they hate your tie. You don't know, so there's no point in worrying about it, hey?'

These words filled Nico with a sense of awe. Will's natural confidence and positivity washed over Nico like a wave. Will was right. He _didn't_ know what they were thinking, or saying. Come to think of it; did he really _care_?

Surprisingly, Nico found that he didn't. A weight lifted off Nico's shoulders, and he leaned himself closer to Will.

The rest of the evening passed in complete elation. Nico didn't even notice stares anymore. Maybe they had stopped? Maybe people had been surprised for a moment, and then carried on with their evening? There were plenty of other distractions. Leo's flaming bow-tie for one, which managed to stay alight for a full five seconds before Calypso chucked a jug of water on him. Coach Hedge's breakdancing skills also turned a few heads (and almost knocked off a few heads). Nico and Will spent the evening as a couple, dancing together, having their photo taken, and eating side by side.

The highlight of the night was when a girl from Aphrodite cabin came over and congratulated Nico and Will for being so brave, and told Will that he was breaking lots of girls' hearts, but that he would be forgiven because Nico was so cute. Nico was certain he had blushed bright red at this point.

Nico would never forget Prom. Never had Nico felt so confident, so happy. He'd long forgotten what it felt like to smile so much that your face hurt, to laugh so hard that your stomach ached. It was well past midnight when the party started to wind down, and people drifted back to their cabins. Nico was thinking about going to crash out at Hades cabin, when Will pulled him to one side.

'Want to have a walk around the canoe lake?' asked Will.

Nico forgot his tiredness, and nodded, taking Will's hand.

They walked in silence for a while, before Will said, 'So… that wasn't as catastrophic as you imagined it would be.'

Nico had to agree. 'No it wasn't. These are… very different times.'

'Better times?' asked Will.

Nico twisted his mouth in thought. 'Yes, when it comes to this _issue_. No, when it comes to other things… like food. I tried a burger from that Mac place, or whatever you call it. I mean, what on earth is going on there?'

Will laughed. 'Yeah, I'd imagine there are pros and cons of every era.'

Nico glanced at Will as they walked. He looked so happy, so content, so comfortable with this lazy walk with Nico.

'So,' asked Nico, clearing his throat. 'How long have you known you like boys?'

Will frowned. 'Erm, not sure really. Never really thought about it a great deal. I liked spending time with girls and could tell when a girl was pretty but never really had a desire to date one. Just sort of assumed that I hadn't met one that I liked enough yet. The idea that I might be gay had crossed my mind, but as I say, I never really thought about it loads. But then when I met you at the battle against Gaia, I got butterflies that everyone talked about when they saw someone they fancied. I'd never felt them before, but I knew what they were. What's the matter?'

Nico was looked at Will, wide-eyed. 'So… you've only just worked out you're gay… a few weeks ago? Hate to sound cliché, but are you sure you're not just confused?'

Will shook his head. 'Nah, man. I would say that I've spent my life being confused, and that now I finally have clarity.'

Nico smiled at this.

Will looked at Nico curiously. 'So, how long have you known then?'

'I've known for…well, a long time,' said Nico, shaking his head.

'How long?' pressed Will.

Nico shifted. 'You know when you are about 8 years old, some kids start these 'playground romances', as they're called. Not _proper_ relationships. You sort of hold hands, go round to each other's house, maybe the occasional peck on the cheek. Well a couple of my friends at school had got girlfriends, and I felt so jealous of them. So I decided to get a girlfriend too. Her name was Joan.'

Will chuckled. 'Wow, that's my grandma's name.'

'It was 1940!' protested Nico. 'Anyway, Joan had the most gorgeous red hair I've ever seen. She used to wear her hair in plaits, but when she came over to my house I would beg her, '_Untie your hair Joan, untie it please_!' She would let it hang down her back, and I would comb my fingers through. Neither of us got bored of that. 8 year old Nico di Angelo knew how to impress the ladies back then.'

Will laughed. 'Sounds like it.'

'I really cared for Joan, but I still felt jealous when I saw my friends with their girlfriends,' continued Nico. 'And one day, quite suddenly, I realised that I wasn't jealous of the boys, but the girls… and then I realised it was actually a boyfriend I wanted. But it actually didn't worry me too much at that age. I was a pretty… erm… _eccentric_ kid, so I just thought it was one of my many unusual, random thoughts that would just go eventually. But it never did.'

Will nodded thoughtfully. 'I think it's rare to know that young. But cool though. What happened to Joan?'

Nico shrugged. 'I don't know. Not long after that and my mother died, and then my memory was wiped, and then I was transported into the modern day. All this kind of distracted me from dating.'

Will stopped suddenly, and rounded on Nico. 'So… I suppose you've never been kissed by a boy then?'

Nico daren't speak. He just shook his head, staring into Will's kind, blue eyes.

'Me neither,' whispered Will.

The moment hung there for a second, before Will leaned in. Nico closed his eyes, and felt Will's lips press against his. The butterflies in his stomach fluttered madly. But the best thing about it, the _greatest_ thing, was that Nico knew that Will was feeling exactly the same.

Will wrapped his arms around Nico's and pulled him in closer, and Nico snaked his arms around Will's shoulders. They stared like that for a while. Finally Will drew away, but kept his arms around Nico.

Will cleared his throat. 'You wouldn't want to…maybe consider being my boyfriend?'

Nico didn't even need to think about the answer. 'I would love that.'

'Awesome,' said Will. They joined hands and carried on their walk.

'So, now we're a couple, we need couple nicknames for each other,' said Will, looking deep in thought, before smiling. 'You'll be _my angel_.'

Will looked so pleased with this that Nico wanted to keep that smile in place. 'Uh, and you'll be…_my sunshine_,' said Nico, and then felt quite sick.

Will noticed Nico trying not to heave. 'You're not a very natural romantic are you?'

'Get used to it, Solace. Get used to it.'


End file.
